The Importance of Acoustics

Home design focuses on how things look. From the overall massing of the home, to the arrangement of the floor plan, to curb appeal, and wow moments that can be generated by engaging the sense of discovery as if walking through a home is a treasure hunt for the eyes. As a result, the majority of our work in Schematic Design focuses on these elements to ensure that a beautiful home is achieved.

I argue however, that the long-term enjoyment of a home comes down to comfort far more than flashy first impressions. For this reason, considerations for sound take center stage in my design. Acoustics has long been one of my favorite architectural characteristics together with light. Poor acoustics lead to higher turnover in staff for a business, a low rate of return customers for a restaurant, and feelings of unease in home design. While unseen, the sound of a space makes an indelible impact on how you FEEL in your home.

There are two main factors to consider in sound control. Structure Borne sound, and Airborne Sound. As sound is just vibrations in the air it is easy to understand how when a sound wave hits a solid surface – like a wall – the energy transfers into the wall, transmits through the material then reemerges into the air on the other side again as sound. The way that we mitigate structure borne sound and Airborne sound are totally different. Airborne sound has to do with shaping the sound in a space. Think about sitting in a cathedral, with the very high reverberation and the sounds of the organ overlapping each other and taking seconds to fully fade away. Amazing when listening to certain music, but terrible for vocal intelligibility. 

In Episode 1 of Around the Drafting Table (aired in November), Acoustician Margo Dallinga and I go into depth on these concepts and some of the design strategies we take to perfectly shape sound in a space for long term enjoyment.

Listen in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw16GGx1WGM